Upon release, Superman Returns received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its visual effects, story, musical score, the performances and style. However, it received criticism focusing on its runtime and lack of action sequences. While it was a box office success, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the worldwide box office return. A sequel was planned for a summer 2009 release, but the project was later canceled. The Superman film series was completely rebooted in 2013 with the film Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill as Superman.

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For the previous five years, Superman has mysteriously abandoned his adopted home of Earth while on a journey into outer space to investigate what astronomers believed to be an intact Krypton. In his absence, journalist and past love Lois Lane wrote a scathing article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman", winning her the Pulitzer Prize. Lois is engaged to Richard White, the nephew of Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, and with whom she shares a young asthmatic son, Jason. Notorious criminal mastermind Lex Luthor secured an early release from prison due to Superman not appearing as a prosecution witness during Luthor's fifth appeal trial. By seducing an old heiress, Luthor is able to inherit her fortune, giving him resources for his next scheme.

Superman returns to Earth, crash landing at the Kent farm, just as he did as a child. He reveals to his adoptive mother Martha Kent that he left hoping to find his homeworld, and expresses his dismay at being the only one of his kind remaining. Upon returning to Metropolis in his human identity of Clark Kent, he is shocked to discover the consequences of his disappearance.

When a mysterious nationwide power outage causes catastrophic failures during a space shuttle launch, Clark realizes he must reemerge as Superman. Saving the shuttle and its ferry jet in highly public fashion causes a resurgence of media attention regarding Superman's return. Unbeknownst to anyone, the accident was triggered by Luthor using Kryptonian technology stolen from the Fortress of Solitude.

Luthor sends his moll, Kitty, to distract Superman, allowing him to steal a sample of kryptonite from a museum. Still investigating the earlier power outage, Lois tracks the hypocenter to the mansion Luthor recently inherited and, along with her son, explores the yacht docked there. Discovering Luthor, she is held captive as the yacht heads out into the Atlantic. Luthor plans to use the Kryptonian crystal technology Superman used to create his Fortress of Solitude to create a massive new continent which would swallow some of the current landmasses bordering the Atlantic. The world will then be forced to use his new land. Placing a crystal inside a shell of refined kryptonite, Luthor triggers the new land growth by launching it into the sea.

The Fortress of Solitude as depicted in the film.

Lois manages to use a fax machine on board the yacht to send their location to the Daily Planet headquarters, where it catches the attention of Clark and Richard. Upon discovering her attempt at subversion, one of Luthor's henchmen attacks Lois, causing Jason's powers to emerge as he crushes the henchman with a piano – revealing that the (no longer asthmatic) Jason is Superman's son. Realizing this fact, Luthor and his thugs escape by helicopter as the earthquake effects from the growing landmass span back to Metropolis. While Superman works to contain the damage in the city, Richard reaches the yacht by way of a floatplane and releases Lois and Jason from their locked room. The three become trapped when the yacht is split in two by the growing rock formations, knocking Lois unconscious and sinking the yacht. Superman rescues them and gets them to the safety of Richard's plane.

Superman pursues Luthor, who has made his way to the growing land mass. The kryptonite shell surrounding the crystal has caused the new rock formations to be infused with kryptonite, making the land itself toxic to Superman. Luthor's thugs brutalize Superman into submission as he is unable to fight back. Luthor impales Superman with a kryptonite shard and allows him to fall into the ocean, presumably to die.

Regaining consciousness in the escaping floatplane, Lois learns that Superman has gone to confront Luthor. Knowing of the kryptonite danger, Lois convinces Richard to double back to help him. Jason spots the Man of Steel in the water and Lois and Richard get him into the plane, where Lois removes the shard. Recovering, Superman flies high into the atmosphere to regain his strength by exposure to sunlight. Using his heat vision, he then tunnels deep under the new land mass and, using the last of his strength, is able to fly it off into space before it absorbs more land.

Escaping with Luthor in the helicopter, a disillusioned Kitty discards the remaining crystals and the two eventually end up on a deserted island when they run out of fuel. Complications from kryptonite exposure cause Superman to fall into a coma, and while doctors are able to remove more fragments from his skin, they cannot revive him. Lois visits him in the hospital and whispers into his ear while glancing at Jason. Soon after, hospital staff discovers his room empty. No longer feeling alone in the universe, Superman visits his newly revealed son in the boy's room and repeats to Jason the words of his own father as he sleeps. Lois starts writing another article, titled "Why the World Needs Superman". Superman reassures her that he is now back to stay, and flies off into space, where he gazes down at the world.

Brandon Routh as Clark Kent / Superman: The Kryptonian superhero who disguises himself as a journalist. Director Singer believed only an unknown actor would be suitable for the part.[5] Routh was chosen from thousands of candidates interviewed at casting calls in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.[6] He had coincidentally auditioned for Clark Kent in the television series Smallville, but lost to Tom Welling. Routh had also met director Joseph "McG" Nichol for the role during pre-production of Superman: Flyby. Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve, believed Routh's physical resemblance to her late husband was striking.[7] To obtain the muscular physique to play Superman convincingly, Routh underwent a strict bodybuilding exercise regimen.[8] Prior to Routh's casting, Singer had X2 actor Daniel Cudmore audition.[9]

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor: An evil sociopath armed with vast resources and an extensive knowledge of science who is Superman's nemesis. Because of his Academy Award-winning performance in Singer's film The Usual Suspects (1995), and friendship with the director, Spacey was the only actor considered for Lex Luthor. The writers specifically had Spacey in mind for the part when writing the script.[10] Spacey's version of Luthor has the same comically exaggerated vanity and pompous arrogance of the earlier Gene Hackman version as well as the same strong interest in real estate, but Spacey's version is far less campy and more serious. Spacey later said that director Singer told him to play the character as "darker and more bitter" compared to Hackman and not to use the earlier portrayal as an inspiration.[14]

James Marsden as Richard White: The nephew of the Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White and fiancé to Lois Lane. Marsden said Richard acts as an emotional challenge for Superman, since the hero comes back to find that "Lois Lane picks somebody who's very Supermanesque".[15]

Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski: Lex Luthor's henchwoman. She served as a prison nurse and would give Lex his examinations.[16] The character is based on Eve Teschmacher from the 1978 film, portrayed by Valerie Perrine.[17] Posey was the only actress considered for the role.[18]

Marlon Brando as Jor-El: Superman's biological father. Brando (who died in 2004) reprises his role from the 1978 film through the use of previous footage combined with computer-generated imagery. This required negotiations with Brando's estate for permission to have his footage used. Singer explained, "We had access to all of the Brando footage that was shot. There was unused footage that had Brando reciting poems, trailing off subject and swearing like a sailor."[19]

Tristan Lake Leabu as Jason White: The son of Lois Lane and Superman. The question of whether Superman or Richard is Jason's father is initially unclear. He suffers from asthma and other ailments, but it is later revealed that he is the son of Superman, when he displays superhuman strength and discomfort around Kryptonite.

Director and producer Bryan Singer conceived the storyline of "Superman returning to Earth after a five-year absence" during the filming of X2 (2003). He presented the idea to Lauren Shuler Donner and her husband Richard Donner, director of Superman (1978). Donner greeted Singer's idea with positive feedback.[8] In March 2004, Warner Bros. was commencing pre-production on Superman: Flyby, which had a target theatrical release date of June 2006. McG was signed to direct with a script by J. J. Abrams, but dropped out in June 2004. That same month, Singer was approached by Warner Bros. to pitch his idea for Superman Returns, as he was preparing to leave for Hawaii on a short vacation with his X2 writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. While in Hawaii, Singer, Dougherty and Harris began to outline the film treatment.[18] In July 2004, Singer signed on to direct and develop Superman Returns.[22]

Although he was not a comic book fan, Singer was most impressed with Donner's 1978 film, citing it as an influence of his, Dougherty and Harris's writing.[22][23] With Singer's hiring, he dropped out of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and also had the Logan's Run remake pushed back.[22]Superman Returns was financed 50/50 between Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures,[24] and pre-production began in November 2004.[25] By February 2005, Dougherty and Harris had written six drafts of the script.[26] Early versions of the script contained references to the September 11 attacks before they were removed.[18]

Singer hired regular collaborator John Ottman as editor and film score composer months before the script was written.[39] Ottman said in past interviews that John Williams, who composed the 1978 film, had influenced his decision to become a musician.[40] He was both cautious and enthusiastic to work on Superman Returns. "Bryan [Singer] said he wouldn't even greenlight the movie if he couldn't use the John Williams music." Ottman continued, "it was important for me to preserve the Williams theme right down to every single note for the opening titles." Ottman referred to his work on Superman Returns as a homage to, not a ripoff of, Williams.[41]

Originally budgeted at $184.5 million, Warner Bros. placed the final production cost at $223 million, coming down to $204 million after factoring in tax rebates and incentives. Taking into account the development costs since the early 1990s, total expenditure is estimated to be around $263 million, with up to a further $100 million spent on worldwide marketing.[18][42]

Bryan Singer convinced Warner Bros. not to experiment with test screenings. In addition, Singer removed 15 minutes of footage from Superman Returns after showing it to some of his "trusted associates". The final theatrical time length ran at 154 minutes.[57] Warner Bros. originally slated the movie for release on Friday, June 30, but moved it up to Wednesday, June 28.[58]Superman Returns was released on June 28, 2006 in the United States and Canada in 4,065 theaters. The film ranked at the top in its opening weekend, grossing $52.5 million.[59]

Superman Returns: An IMAX 3D Experience was released simultaneously in 111 IMAX-format theatres worldwide, which included 20 minutes of converted 3D film material. It was the first Hollywood full-length live-action film to be released in this combined format.[60] One of the key scenes Singer took out was "the Return to Krypton sequence". Ten million dollars was spent on this sequence alone, but it was deleted. Singer noted that it could not be released as part of a DVD featurette because it was converted to IMAX 3D. He hoped it could have appeared in an IMAX reissue.[56] The film's second-week gross rapidly declined from the first week, due to the presence of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Devil Wears Prada.[61]Superman Returns went on to gross $200,081,192 in North America and $191 million internationally, earning $391,081,192 worldwide.[59] Domestically, the film was the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2006.[62] In worldwide totals, Superman Returns was ninth-highest.[63]

On Rotten Tomatoes, Superman Returns has an approval rating of 75% based on 260 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bryan Singer's reverent and visually decadent adaptation gives the Man of Steel welcome emotional complexity. The result: a satisfying stick-to-your-ribs adaptation."[64] On Metacritic the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[65] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[66]

Richard Corliss of Time praised Superman Returns, calling it one of the best superhero films. He was mostly impressed with Singer's direction and the storyline.[67]Joe Morgenstern from The Wall Street Journal also gave a positive review, but observed Routh's and Bosworth's acting was "somewhat dead or super average. Nothing special." Morgenstern believed Lex Luthor's characterization was "well written by the writers and well played by Kevin Spacey". He also praised Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography and Guy Hendrix Dyas's production design.[68]

Peter Travers, writing in Rolling Stone, felt the film "perfectly updates Superman for the modern audience".[69]J. Hoberman of The Village Voice called it "surprisingly well made. It's a summer blockbuster filled with mythology and sensitivity."[70]James Berardinelli reacted positively to the movie, comparing it favorably with Richard Donner's 1978 film. He felt Spacey was better than Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, describing him as "more cruel and less flippant" than Hackman. "There are no miscasts to be found in the supporting cast, either," Berardinelli said. "Superman Returns is near the top, if not at the top of the superhero movie pile. It offers nearly everything: romance, action, humor, and plenty of goose bumps."[71]

However, Roger Ebert argued the film was a "glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating." He also felt that "Brandon Routh lacks charisma as Superman", surmising that he "may have been cast because he looks a little like Reeve".[72]Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt that Warner Bros. should have rebooted the series along the lines of Batman Begins. He also felt Bosworth, at 22 years old, was too young to portray Lois Lane, and the climax did not "match the potential of the tiring 154-minute-long film".[73]

On May 3, 2009, almost three years after the debut of Superman Returns, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino declared his appreciation for Bryan Singer's directorial work on Superman Returns and that he would write a 20-page review about Superman Returns.[74]

On January 9, 2012, more than five years after the movie was released, the independent film community daily news site IndieWire released a two-part video essay that probes the melancholic nature of Superman Returns. Produced by Matt Zoller Seitz and Ken Cancelosi, the critique was inspired by a review that Seitz wrote for the New York Press in 2006, in which he stated that "From the moment its hero returns to the sky to rescue Lois Lane from a plummeting jet, Superman Returns flirts with greatness."[75]

In 2013, Singer stated that Superman Returns was made for "Perhaps more of a female audience. It wasn't what it needed to be, I guess." Singer stated that he would have cut about the first quarter off of the film and started it with "the jet disaster sequence or something. I could have grabbed the audience a little more quickly. I don't know what would have helped. Probably nothing. If I could go again, I would do an origin. I would reboot it."[76]

Empire ranked the movie 496 on its "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list,[77] stating, "It may have been a slighter return than some people had hoped for, but Singer's vision of the Man of Steel is an heroic effort. Plenty of spectacle and a lot of heart helps Kal-El soar."[78]

Superman Returns debuted on DVD on November 28, 2006 in two versions, one with a single disc, and a double-disc edition which featured over three hours of behind-the-scenes features.[83] That same day, a 14-disc DVD box set titled Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition was released, containing special editions of all five Superman films, as well as the documentary Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman.[84] It debuted at the top spot of the DVD charts, and also generated $13 million in rentals during its first week.[85]
The film was also released in both high-definition formats, HD DVD, which featured both standard and high definitions on the same disc, and Blu-ray.[83] It was the best-selling title on both formats in 2006,[86] and was among the best-sellers of both formats of 2007.[87]

In February 2006, four months before the release of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. announced a mid-2009 theatrical release date for a sequel, with Bryan Singer reprising his directing duties.[88] Brandon Routh,[89] Kate Bosworth,[90] Kevin Spacey,[91]Sam Huntington,[92]Frank Langella,[93] and Tristan Lake Leabu were to reprise their roles.[94] Due to his commitment, Singer dropped out of directing a remake of Logan's Run and an adaptation of The Mayor of Castro Street.[95] Writer Michael Dougherty wanted the sequel to be "action packed", featuring "other Kryptonians"[96] with Brainiac[97] and Bizarro also considered for primary villains.[94] The "New Krypton" landmass floating in space at the end of Superman Returns would have served as a plot device.[98] Although Superman Returns received mostly positive reviews, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were disappointed by the film's box office return.[99] Warner Bros. President Alan F. Horn explained that Superman Returns was a very successful film, but that it "should have done $500 million worldwide. We should have had perhaps a little more action to satisfy the young male crowd."[100] Singer reacted incredulously to the studio complaints, saying, "That movie made $400 million! I don’t know what constitutes under-performing these days..."[101] $175 million was the maximum budget Warner Bros. was projecting for the sequel, as Superman Returns cost $204 million.[18][42][102]

Filming for the Superman Returns sequel was to start in mid-2007,[103] before Singer halted development in favor of Valkyrie.[104] Filming was then pushed to March 2008,[105] but writers Dougherty and Dan Harris left in favor of other career opportunities.[106] The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike pushed the release date to 2010.[107] Singer still listed the sequel as a priority in March 2008, saying that the film was in early development.[101] Routh expected filming to begin in early 2009.[108]Paul Levitz, president of DC Comics, expected Routh to reprise the title role from Superman Returns[89] before his contract for a sequel expired in 2009.[109] However, with Warner Bros. deciding to reboot the film series, Singer dropped out in favor of directing Jack the Giant Slayer. In August 2008, Warner Bros. President of Production Jeff Robinov reflected, "Superman Returns didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to. It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had Superman worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. Now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."[110]

^ abSmith, Sean (2 July 2006). "A Flying Leap". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. My production budget on "Superman Returns" was $204 million. The approved budget was $184.5 million. We had projected overages for visual effects, and there was a sequence that I wanted that was going to cost an extra $2.3 million. So the hard, honest number is $204 million.